Social Welfare Law

The Yemeni Social Welfare Law details the channels of the state’s financial and in-kind assistance to vulnerable groups. The law was adopted in 1996, and 24 articles were subsequently amended in 1999. The law is composed of 64 articles divided into 6 that address the following themes:

1- General provisions, and terminologies (Chapter 1): Presents an overview on the law’s objectives, the scope of the law’s implementation, and key terminologies.

2- Eligibility criteria (Chapter 2): Outlines the categories of social welfare beneficiaries and qualification criteria.

3- Fundings (Chapter 3): Outlines the funding sources and associated processes for the social welfare fund.

4- Penalties (Chapter 4): Details the punishments related to fraud or theft within the social welfare system.

5- Data collection and transition (Chapters 5, 6): Outlines the data collection, sharing, and maintenance protocols (Chapter 5) and provides details regarding implementation (Chapter 6).

The law indirectly touches upon several areas that are relevant to the ‘Children and Armed Conflict’ agenda. The law proposes to support vulnerable groups, including children without families/caregivers. Furthermore, the law includes provisions for supporting rehabilitation and vocational training for impacted groups. Additionally, the section of the law related to the fund includes provisions to support emergency assistance in cases of displacement, conflict, and natural disasters.

Regarding implementation, the social welfare system in Yemen has been undermined due to armed conflict in the country. Yemen has suffered significant from economic deterioration, wherein paying government employees’ salaries has been a persistent challenge. Hence, allocating funds to social welfare has been deprioritized in lieu of other priorities.^[1]

^[1] For more information, see “Yemen Economic Monitor: Navigating Increased Hardship and Growing Fragmentation,” The World Bank, Spring 2024, https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2024/06/26/yemen-s-economy-faces-mounting-crises-report.